1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the removal of background data from image data by an image processing device or image reading apparatus.
2. Discussion of the Background
In the field of image processing and image reading, it is often desirable to remove background noise from image data representing an image. The removal of background noise is an improvement in the quality of a duplicated image.
A disadvantage of a conventional image processing device or image reading apparatus, such as a digital copying machine, is that a background noise removing function cannot be switched on and off during a print job. This is disadvantageous, as in some documents, it is desirable for only portions of the document to have background noise removed. For example, it would be desirable in a document that included both text and pictures to remove any background noise below a certain threshold in the text portion, while not removing any of the background noise in the picture portion. The removal of background noise from duplicated text will insure that the text appears in its original form, while removal of background noise in a duplicated picture may cause deterioration of the quality of the duplicated picture. Accordingly, there is a long felt need for an image processing device or image reading apparatus that can selectively remove background noise.